Are You Making Any of These Rookie Sales Mistakes?
Whether you’re brand new to selling or you’ve been doing it for years, the sales process is ripe with opportunities to make mistakes. It’s something we all experience as entrepreneurs and sales professionals.
But you can overcome the bad habits and blunders that stop you from closing more sales and boosting your revenue. So today, I want to jump right in with 5 common mistakes and how you can avoid them.
1. Rookies Show Up Unprepared.
When you go into a sales call, you need to have all of your bases covered so you can gently guide your prospect to a yes.
What information do you need to know going in? If you serve individuals, you need to know a little about them and what brings them to you. If you serve companies, you need to know:
- The type of business
- Who you might be meeting with – this could be more than the person who set up the meeting
- Why they want to meet with you or what problem you can solve
Regardless of the type of client you serve, you also need to be prepared with:
- Answers to any and all questions they might ask
- Testimonials or case studies that point to your success
- Samples or something you can show them about your product or service
- Pricing
- Business cards and/or brochures
By going in overprepared instead of underprepared, you’re going to give the proper impression.
2. Rookies Let the Prospect Take the Lead.
It’s important that you retain control of the sales conversation. However, no one wants to feel like they’re being manipulated or controlled. So you have to be careful about avoiding this pitfall.
The key to leading your prospect through the sales process is treating them how you would want to be treated. Put yourself in their shoes. Sell with integrity. Gently guide them through a conversation where yes is the natural outcome.
3. Rookies Do Too Much Talking and Not Enough Listening.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of talking too much when you’re engaged in a sales conversation. You want to wow your prospect with how knowledgeable you are, statistics, figures, and stories about happy customers, and of course, features of your product or service.
Instead of wowing your prospect, this gives them the false impression that you don’t value their time or care about their needs.
That’s why experienced sales professionals ask a lot of questions. They are the key to unlocking the problem your prospect is experiencing so that you can address it with the right solution.
Rather than throwing the kitchen sink of every bit of information at the prospect all at once, listen and find out what makes them tick. If they tell a lot of stories, use stories in your sales presentation. If they throw out numbers and details, use statistics and facts to persuade them.
4. Rookies Don’t Ask For the Sale.
You put in time preparing, you’ve guided the conversation, but you walk out with no sale. Well, did you come right out and ask them?
You might be surprised to find out that nearly every client I’ve ever worked with has been guilty of this mistake at least once or twice.
You have to come right out and ask for what you want. Here is one way you can ask for a sale without sounding confrontational to a prospect: “Are you ready to solve your problem of (mention a problem they described) with the right solution, (your product or service)?”
Then pause and wait for an answer, which brings us to our last common mistake…
5. Rookies Don’t Turn Objections into Opportunities.
When a prospect voices an objection, it’s a chance for you to address what’s stopping them from saying yes. So the first step is to acknowledge the objection and let your prospect know you understand where they’re coming from. Say, “I hear you that it’s out of your budget, and I understand that it’s an investment…”
Then you can override their objections with key information, such as, “…But this is an investment that will boost profits by 75%, so it will pay for itself within just 2 months.” That’s a winning formula that will guide your prospect to a yes.
Does sales come naturally to you?
For most people, it doesn’t. It takes years of practice, unless you have a shortcut around all of the trial and error most sales people go through.
That’s why it helps to have a sales master in your corner. Together, we can Double Plus your income and set you on a path to sales success. Sound like a good plan? If so, contact me today.
Blueprint Magazine – Volume 4
“Celebrating Generations”
In this latest issue of The Blueprint, several articles focus on how you can smartly meet your professional and personal goals. Articles are written by authors spanning all generations, filled with knowledge to inspire and motivate you.
My hope is that The Blueprint inspires you in all aspects of your life – to grow your business, to prosper in your personal life and to serve the community and world around you.
Click here to subscribe for your free copy.
Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “DoublePlusTM” their income and become effective and inspirational leaders in their fields. Whether it’s taking your successful business to the next level or starting a new venture, she will teach you the exact skills and strategies you need to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock-solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real profit and lasting success. Celeste is a professional business growth specialist, a master sales strategist, and dynamic speaker with 40 years experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.
To learn more about Celeste, click here.
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